October 2020 • Volume 8, Number 10

In This Issue Message from Director Colleen Callahan • Monarch Action By happenstance last week, a just-released monarch butterfly Plan Takes Flight got an up-close look at the signing document for the new • Fall Trout Monarch Action Plan at Conservation World at the • Youth Firearm Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Deer Season I’d like to encourage you to take a close look at the Monarch • Archery Deer Season Action Plan to see how you can help save monarchs and other pollinators. As the Plan notes, many pollinators have seen dramatic population declines across the U.S. and around the world, threatening the animals and humans who rely on pollinator activity for survival.

Individuals can help by planting pollinator gardens at home or on the farm, by encouraging the planting of milkweed and other pollinator-friendly habitat on school and business campuses, in community parks and rights-of-way, and wherever open space is available.

Find Out More We at the IDNR are proud to partner with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, DNR Home Page Illinois EPA, IDOT and a long list of companies and organizations in supporting the Monarch Action Plan and leading the charge to add 150 million stems of new Natural Resources milkweed in diverse nectar sources in Illinois to support monarch and pollinator Parks and Recreation conservation. Mines and Minerals You’ll find the Monarch Action Plan at the Illinois Monarch Project website at Hunting and Trapping IllinoisMonarchProject.org. Fishing

Education/Outreach Colleen Callahan Safety and Rules Director, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Online Services

IDNR Careers IDNR offers a wide array of professional careers in the conservation and natural resource arena. Click here to see the job openings available. www2.illinois.gov/dnr DNR in the News Highlights Mermet Lake to Add Wetland Illinois State Museum Launches Journal of a Plague Year: Illinois in 2020 IDNR Launches New The Illinois State Museum (ISM) announced the opening Hunting App, Website of the Journal of a Plague Year: Illinois in 2020 exhibition, showcasing submissions from its COVID-19 collecting New Kickapoo Trail a Hit initiative and featuring the photography of local artist Zach Adam. For more information. Four Fantastic Stops In Southern Illinois To Savor French History Virtual Trivia Night Oct. 24 Endangered Mussels in Join the Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site Oct. 24 Illinois Play a Crucial Role as from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for a fun night of trivia and Environmental Sentinels support both Cahokia Mounds Museum Society (CMMS) and Powell Archaeological Research Center (PARC). To participate, you will need to be able to participate in a ZOOM meeting on one device while using another to access the Kahoot! app. For more information.

Lakes Closing to Fishing Soon Braidwood Lake SFWA will close to fishing for the season Oct. 13. LaSalle Lake SFWA will close to fishing for the 2020 season Oct. 15. Find more information on fishing opportunities through the I Fish Illinois website. For more information.

IDNR Launches New ‘Hunt Illinois’ Website The IDNR has launched the new Hunt Illinois website – an online resource for Illinois residents and visitors to the state interested in hunting in the Land of Lincoln. The website includes information on Illinois hunting seasons, places to hunt, licenses and permits needed, hunting and trapping regulations, hunter harvest reporting, hunter Statewide Offices safety, wildlife management, and conservation programs. Springfield, IL For more information. 217-782-6302

Bartlett, IL 847-608-3100

Benton, IL 618-435-8138

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Illinois 2020 Fall Trout Season Opens Oct. 17 The 2020 Illinois Fall Trout Fishing Season opens Satur- day, Oct. 17 at more than 50 ponds, lakes, and streams

Click for info throughout the state. The Illinois catchable trout program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps and the Illinois Fish Management Fund. Check the announcement for fall trout locations. Don’t ever miss a hunting permit or application IDNR to Allocate Trapping Permits deadline again! A public drawing for the allocation of Sangchris Lake State Park trapping permits will be held at 10:30 a.m. Oct. Need hunting, 17. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the site head- fishing or boating quarters, located approximately six miles southeast of Rochester. For details. license renewal reminders?

Check out the A public drawing for the allocation of Jim Edgar Panther FREE Outdoor Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area trapping permits will Illinois App be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, October 18, 2020. Regis- tration will begin at 1:00 p.m. at the site headquarters, www.ilconservation.org located approximately five miles southeast of Chandler- ville. For details.

Youth Firearm Deer Hunting Season The 2020 Youth Firearm Deer Hunting Season is Oct. 10, 11 and 12. The Youth Firearm Deer Season is open to hunters who have not reached their 18th birthday prior to the opening date of the season. Unfilled Youth Firearm Deer Permits are also valid on private land during the first Download through the Firearm Deer Season (Nov. 20-22, 2020), but on public App Store or Google Play land they may only be used on sites that allow unrestricted on iPhone or Android. hunting to any hunter with a valid county permit. More info.

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Select State and Federal Sites Open for Youth

Click for info Waterfowl Hunting Seasons A number of Illinois state parks, fish and wildlife areas, conservation areas and recreation areas will be open to youth waterfowl hunting during the 2020 North Zone Youth Waterfowl Hunt, Central Zone Youth Waterfowl Hunt, South Central Zone Youth Waterfowl Hunt and South Zone Youth Waterfowl Hunt. For details.

Remaining Deer Firearm Permits Available Over-The-Counter Beginning Oct. 20 On October 20 at 8:00 a.m. remaining deer firearm Click for info permits will go on sale over-the-counter at IDNR License/ Permits vendors. Find a vendor near you here.

Opening of Archery Deer and Fall Archery Turkey Seasons October 1, 2020 marks the opening of the Illinois Archery Deer Season and the Illinois Fall Archery Turkey Season. For more details, check the links below. Click for info Archery Deer. Fall Archery Turkey.

IDNR Updates Spring Wild Turkey Permit Application Process The IDNR has updated the process for hunters who wish to enter the lottery for Spring Wild Turkey permits. The Click for info new application procedure, adopted earlier this year, will streamline the lotteries for turkey hunters, making it easi- er to obtain all three of their permits online rather than a combination of online and over-the-counter. For details.

Click for info

4 Highlights

Windshield Cards for Public Land Hunting/Trapping Free Windshield Cards are required to hunt deer and re- cord hunting effort/harvest at many Illinois Public Hunting Areas. Cards are available.

Hunters are required to return to this website prior to Feb. Click for info 15 each year to record harvest information.

Chronic Wasting Disease Management Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease of the

Click for info central nervous system in deer and elk. Since the first case of CWD was discovered in Illinois, the IDNR has conducted a targeted surveillance program for CWD in wild deer. For more details.

Lost Safety Education Card If you have lost your Illinois Safety Education Card and need to reprint it, or just need to look up your Safety Click for info Certification Number, go online to the IDNR website.

Hunter Heritage Videos New videos created by the IDNR Wildlife Division Hunter Heritage program focus on the fun and importance of hunting to wildlife conservation. Enjoy the videos online. Click for info

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Upcoming ENTICE Professional Development Workshops Register soon for ENTICE (Environment and Nature Train- ing Institute for Conservation Education) professional development workshops for educators sponsored by the IDNR. ENTICE workshops provide background informa- tion, networking opportunities, hands-on lessons, sup- plemental resources on the topic and the opportunity to work with resources professionals. Professional Development Hours are available. Correlations to relevant Next Generation Science Standards and/or Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards are provided. For details.

Deer Are On the Move Be on the lookout year round for deer on and near Illinois roadways. Be especially vigilant during deer breeding season this fall. IDOT and IDNR remind motorists to stay alert and don’t veer for deer. For more information.

Labor Day Ceremony at Pullman National Monument The IDNR, the National Park Service (NPS), and local officials participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking on Labor Day (Sept. 7, 2020) for the $34 million restoration of the Pullman National Monument/Pullman State Historic Site historic Clock Tower Administration Building and rail car manufacturing grounds at 111th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Chicago. The collaborative project, when completed, will allow the public to safely visit the historic site and learn about the rich heritage of the Pullman site and community. Learn more.

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Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and those funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies is available to all individuals regardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion or other non-merit factors. If you believe you have been discriminated against, contact the funding source’s civil rights office and/or the Equal Employment Opportu- nity Officer, IDNR, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; 217/785-0067; TTY 217/782-9175.

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